New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-23

l2mo, pp. 316 ID. Appleton * 20,
Genera! Wilson has written book about China
which must be read by all who desire to obtain the
fullest and latest Information as 60 the actua
status of that litue-known country. Above all
those who wish to know the Probabilities as t.
Chinese advance must follow General Wilson. for IN
relation to that Important and interesting problem
bis work is unique in fact, il is the only attempt
made by man familiar with technical science,
competent to estimate the potentialiies OF 50
peculiar a people, and favored by free con uhlca-
ton with their most distinguished and enllsh enou
incp and offciIls to get at the bottom Oh P
which for centuries Las bafied all the world "eu
sral Wilson went to China. as ne "ri'o' Il" "-'
preface to see for himself whether tno O"'"o10
were ready for railroads. whether IL o"ii''
roads would probably pay ana also "ne'
construction and management oil theh ooaiu 10
secnrsd for Americans under such terms ana con
ditons as promised fair returns Tor tne SKILL al"
capital employed and the risk invoIveu'
lie took letters among others TO Ill
First Grand Secretary of the Empire Niceroy Oh
C.;Lu ao1,one of the most influential and liberal
:, inded men in China. He went 10y way OF japan
and WAS strongly impressed both by the country
and the people of Nippon. The reality OF japanese
procress struck him forcibly, aDd the alertness u
mind of the people. together with their cheeriur
Ness simple manners and amablllty' he n"o az
opportunity of witnessing some spoo'no"'
japanese domestic life, with which lie was inuoA
pleased and his description OF it is enNrtSlhins'
Passing on to China he was well received ny III
JInna.Cbang and other high officials, and every
courtesy and facility for pursulnshs Investigations
were freely extended to him. His travels were lar
and WIDE he made journeys " to Iaku, haiPihg'
Picking the Great Wall and finally To the yellow
River and beyond Tor the purpose of inspecting Its
ola Nr avg
canal and the country adjacent to them.' During
this last-meu touel journey lie traveuc1 hl'een
hundred miles on horseback, throu gh the provinces
of Chilli. Houan aud Shantung. lie visited
Kaifoncfu the capital of Houan. and Chinautu, the
csptal of Shantuug, AID also Kufu. celebrated as
tho homo and burial-place of Confucius. lie
climbed Taishau, the sacred mountain OF Chiha'
and had interviews with a number OF governors
and maudarins of Importance
OF course even SO extensive an examination as
this could furnish nc data for positive conclusions
Years of residence and constant travel would he
necessary for that. But General Wilson saw many
things inference from which was unavoidable. anu
be formed opinions which are probably LOT the
most part trustworthy. One thing which STRUCK
him after he had traversed a good deal oil the
country was the fact that it certainly is not over
peopled Indeed, he thinks it woull easily sustain
three times the present population. which he Is DIS
posed 10 suspect is rather below than above the
outside estimate of three hundred and nifty MIL
lions. OF course it is well known that the TAPPING
rebellioa and famines and floods have during the
last half-century swept away many millions oil
Chinese. Still. General Wilson does not think
serious blow has cen struck at the recuperltive
power OF the people. Undoubtedly the worst that
has happened to China is triAing compared TO the
hos tio,1x yht Black Death
dnring the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
and Europe made up for her losses in few genera
tious China is full of children. They swarm
everywhere and they appear quite as healthy as
those of any other country SO far as population IS
concerned there is TO difficulty and although the
people are poor at present the country Is rcb
General Wilson has been convinced that ITS mineral
resources are second to those of no country in the
world and they yet entirely untouched
The question is whether the Chinese can be per-
tuaaed 10 abandon modify their conservative
policy. and follow in he footsteps OF Japan
Upon the national energies and possibilities the
author has the following interesting ohservationsi
{" II has been sug Tested by more than one thought
fnl student of Chinese civilization that it presents
a case of decay from extreme old age but, while
it is Individually old, though perhaps not so old as
1t is commonly regarded, cannot perceive that 1t
presents any of tue indications OF senll!ty Inc
Chinese is certainly strong aud vigorous and
shows no sign whatever of decay. 1t is prolific.
frugal and industrious and these are the physical
virtues which betOken youth rathsrthan declining
manhood. 1t seeus to me that tnasmuch as
China has never had the higher arts of civilization
either in architecture, engineering navigation,
mining metslurgy or manufacturing OF even in
warfare, it rather indicates a ease of suspended
national dey elopment. ii not Of prolonged youth"
General Wilson secs no reason why the Chinaman
shou Il no If or wlen his isolation is broken, rap
lilly come up with the Western nations though he
has fear that he will surpass them. At present
however, the national conservatism is unbroker.
A few far-seeng and enlightened men like Li-Hung-
Chang are doing what they can to secure the intro
duction Of railroads and perhaps some m inufact-
ures but TO speak of has attended these
efforts hitherto. The spasm OF liberalism which led
TO the sending abroad of certain young Cinnamon
few years ago. TO the end that they might receive
Western education, ended sbrnptly as it began.
The students were recalled and virtually disgraced
and no use whatever was made of the knowledge
they had acquired
The languag e is terrible obstruction to progress
As General Wilson observes, it is mere formidable
than the Great Wall. Then too, there is syster,
of rational education Dense ignorance Is the
portion of the masses As to what is called educa-
ton in China 1t is an artificial and frivolous sys-
TEN, enormously exacting needing lifetime for
its development, aud of no practical value when
mastered. The despotsm OF the government, the
hereditary submit veness of the people. the diff
cuties of the language, the fantastic character OF
the prevailing educational doctrines, all combine
TO hinder national develop ment, and TO strengthen
and deepen that exaggerated conservatism which
has already kept the country in one rut for so many
centuries What the Chinese are capable of when
enfranchised partially, their behavior in
foreign colonies has repeatedly shown. That they
possess a certain race superiority is show In the
ease aud certainty with which they dominate all
the Asiatic peoples in their neghborhood. Malays.
Papuans, Meanesians. negroes al tacItiy admit
the Chnsman master. and wherever he en-
Counters any of these he subdues them, not in